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| Iraq |
| Sons of Iraqi turn out to be Sons of B1tches |
| 2009-04-03 |
| BAGHDAD -- A U.S. aircraft fired on suspected government-allied Sunni paramilitaries planting a bomb, killing one and wounding two, the U.S. said Friday _ the latest sign of trouble in a program that has been a pillar of the U.S. strategy to stabilize Iraq. A U.S. statement said the airstrike was launched Thursday night after four gunmen, allegedly members of the Sons of Iraq, were seen planting a roadside bomb near Taji, site of a large U.S. air base about 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Sons of Iraq, also known as Awakening Councils, are Sunnis who broke with the insurgents and now work with the army and police to provide security in their areas. U.S. commanders credit the more than 90,000 Sons of Iraq with playing a major role in turning the tide against al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgents following the U.S. troop surge of 2007. But the Shiite-led government is suspicious of the groups because they include many ex-insurgents. Shiite leaders also believe some of the members are infiltrators who are still working for the insurgents. Last weekend, U.S.-backed Iraqi forces put down an uprising in central Baghdad by members of the local Awakening Council angry over the arrest of their commander on terrorism and criminal charges. The U.S. statement said one of the gunmen was found dead at the scene of Thursday's attack and the two wounded were captured in a nearby house, the U.S. said. They were handed over to Iraqi police. "While we value our Sons of Iraq brothers, these men had broken faith with their fellow Sons of Iraq, the Iraqi people and us," said Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger, commander of U.S. forces in the Baghdad area. The attack occurred in a rural area where several bombings had occurred in recent months, the U.S. statement said. Taji residents reached by telephone said the Thursday incident followed a growing rift between the local Sunni paramilitaries and the mostly Shiite security forces. The residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears of reprisals, said the security forces consider the Sunni council members disobedient, although they are supposed to take orders from Iraqi police and soldiers. Council members, on the other hand, believe they never got full credit for pushing al-Qaida from the area and feel betrayed by the Americans, who raised the force but transferred it to Iraqi control last October. |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
| #1 "Allegedly members of the Sons of Iraq" Is a lot different then CONFIRMED. Ill wait for the revision. |
| Posted by: Lftbhndagn 2009-04-03 18:19 |